I'm Into You
by foscari
Summary: Where Alto Saotome is crushing on Ranka Lee and his friends have all decided to unhelpfully pitch in.


Title: I'm Into You

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Unbeta-ed, AU, choice words

Genre: Humour, romance, crack

Word Count: 5275

Main Character(s): Alto, Ranka, Sheryl, Michel, Luca, others

Pairing(s): Alto/Ranka, Sheryl/Alto (UST)

Summary: Where Alto Saotome is crushing on Ranka Lee and his friends have all decided to unhelpfully pitch in.

Disclaimer: Macross Frontier, characters and settings are copyright to Satelight and Studio Nue.

* * *

><p><em>She was the new transfer student, enrolling in the school rather late in the term. Summer was nearly upon them by then and most of his classmates were looking forward to the long break from the daily grind of school. He remembered thinking that her hair colour was the exact same shade as the leaves of the cherry trees outside at the quad when she was lead into the classroom and introduced by the their homeroom teacher. When she smiled, he felt as if he was watching the sun coming out after a rain.<em>

"What are you looking at?"

Alto looked up and up to find a very generous pair of breasts in front of him. He continued to look up until he sees the face of the owner. Blue eyes peered down at him while a full mouth curves up into a little smirk.

"Sheryl," he said.

"Alto," she replied in same, chuckling at his frown. "Goodness! Stop looking like that or your face will get stuck."

Without so much as an invitation, Sheryl plants herself onto the edge of his desk, the hemline of her uniform skirt hitching up several inches. She always wore her skirts shorter than school regulations and the school allowed her to get away with it, what with her well known family background. Today's uniform was accompanied by a floppy hat trimmed with a purple ribbon and a pair of thigh-high stockings and ankle boots instead of the standard loafers.

"You're breaking dress code," he pointed out.

"I don't look good in loafers. Besides, I want to break the boots in." She leaned over a little, making the skirt ride up some more, close to exposing her underwear to the eagerly waiting males on the other side. "So, what were you looking at, Saotome?"

His eyes went to the side and she follows his direction to see the girl sitting near the window.

"Ah. The new kid. She's kind of cute, hair that refreshing colour like spring leaves and that enthusiasm. Makes me want to cuddle her to my chest and pet her forever and ever." Sheryl does a squeezing something in her arms gesture, eliciting a great gust of sighs from the other side.

"Sheryl is so cute!" one of the males cried out.

"That's very disturbing and I didn't want to know that." Alto gives her an exasperated look.

"Don't be jealous, Saotome," she cooed, smiling at him. "I'll always lust after you."

"I'll always lust after you, Sheryl!" came the cries from the other side. "You can hold us close to your chest and pet us forever and ever!"

Sheryl blew them kisses, causing a frenzy as all the boys frantically try to catch her air kisses.

Alto just rolled his eyes at their antics.

"You like her," Michel said.

Alto's thoughts stuttered to a halt, his chopsticks pausing in midway towards his mouth, the piece of fish dangling from it.

"Who?"

"Ranka Lee."

He snorted. "Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not. I can see the way you sometimes look at her and the way your eyes followed after her. I would have said that it's very creepy and stalker-ish but I'll refrain from saying so."

"Thanks." Alto popped the sushi into his mouth, chewing it then swallowed.

"You always hang around Sheryl Nome but you barely looked at her wonderful, soft, squeezable boobs and those never ending long legs of hers."

"I knew you're a Sheryl fanboy. I bet you even drool at her poster. And I _don't hang around_ Sheryl. It's the opposite. _She_ hangs around me."

"That brings up the question why would she want to be around someone as grumpy and anti-social as you."

"Why don't you ask her?"

"I'm afraid of her throwing herself at me if I do. I am the best-looking male in the entire school, after all. No woman has ever resisted me."

Alto stifled a snort. "Except for her. If you're so irresistible, then why haven't Ranka thrown herself at you?"

Michel pointed his finger at Alto. At least, he wasn't pointing using the burger. "Are you crazy? Do you know who her brother is? He's that guy who will rent you limb to limb and scatter your remains across the seven galaxies if you so much as look at his sister."

"The one with the sister complex."

"Something like that. I hear he's in the private military school that's across town. So be thankful you still got eyes from eye-lusting after his baby sister."

"I don't eye-lust after her and that's not even a word."

"Sure. And Sheryl doesn't wear those short skirts to flash her lace and ribbon trimmed panties to the male population of the school."

The thing was, Alto didn't eye-lust after Ranka Lee. Not exactly. It wasn't his fault if his eyes often wander over to her during class or whenever she was near him. She wasn't extraordinary in the looks department. Not as ridiculously pretty as Sheryl with her mass of strawberry-gold curls and big blue eyes. She didn't even have what it takes to compete in the chest area.

But.

There is something about her that drew Alto like moth to flame. Maybe it was the way she would caught him looking and instead of running of screaming 'Pervert!' at the top of her lungs or giving him the finger, she would smile at him. Or the way her hair was like floppy puppy ears; they would lift up like wings when she was excited or happy. Or the way she would try her best in doing everything. Or– or–

"You should ask her out," Luca said, interrupting his daydream.

They were walking – more like loitering around – after school let out for the day. Michel was slurping his soda noisily next to him while Luca was munching on a chili dog with extra onions and relish. It was disgusting and don't you always have a lot of flatulence after eating something like that? Alto made a mental note to stay away from Luca for the next few days.

"Sheryl?"

"No. Ranka."

Alto lifted the straw to his mouth, taking a deep slurp. Ask Ranka out. Not that he never thought about it but it seemed almost impossible. Like attempting to jump across the gorge at the Vajra National Park impossible.

"Maybe," he said, after a while. "But I don't think she'll agree to it."

"Maybe she'll say yes. Have you thought about that?" Luca jabbed the hotdog at him. Bits of onion, chili and relish flew off the half-eaten sausage and bun. Alto followed their downfall, watching in fascination as they landed splat on the ground.

"He just wants to eye-lust her only," Michel interjected. He let out a burp, mumbled an 'excuse me' to the lady who passed by them. She eyeballed them all like they were riff-raff instead of students at the prestigious and elite Mishoshi Academy.

"I am not eye-lusting her."

"But if you never try then you never know," Luca continued, ignoring their words. "I mean, it took me a while before I can gather up enough of my– "

"Manhood," supplied Michel, helpfully. Alto coughed, hiding a laugh behind his knuckle.

"– _courage_," said Luca, stressing the word and glaring at Michel hard enough to kill, "to ask Nanase out. But I did and we've been dating ever since."

"You practically threw yourself at her feet and begged her to go out with you," said Michel. "After you recite some bad poetry to her. She was trying to put you out of your misery."

"Nanase and I are very much in love, thank you and it wasn't bad poetry. It was an excellent piece of love poetry."

"Oh. Of course. Not about how you'd tear your heart out and give it to her as token of your everlasting love."

"The point is," said Luca, giving Michel the finger which elicited giggles from a group of passing girls. "You need to take the first step. If you don't, you'll be left with nothing but regret."

"I don't feel any regret," said Alto, truthfully.

"Believe me. You will," Luca intoned, like he was proclaiming the wrath of God was coming to strike them all down.

When Alto arrived home, he found that Luca had left a smear of chili on his pristine white uniform.

* * *

><p>"It's really simple," said Sheryl. "You like her, she obviously does like you so you ask her out and it's a win-win situation."<p>

Today, she is wearing a pair of violet suede chunky-heeled Mary Janes with double straps that crossed over each other with her uniform, a purple-and-white plaid cap and an assortment of charm bracelets on her right wrist. The bracelets tinkled with each movement. Her hair is tied into a side pigtail. On anyone else, they would have looked ridiculous but on Sheryl, she made it look like the latest fashion wear.

"Why don't you run off and play with your legion of fans?"

Sheryl leaned in close enough that she could have kissed him if she wanted to. If he sneezed on her, he wasn't going to apologise. It will serve her right.

"If I have a legion of fans, I would have been famous and going places instead of being stuck here at this boring place with only you as my sole entertainment."

"I'm glad to keep you happy."

"It's a great honour." Sheryl beamed at him.

He sighed. "Why are you so intent on fixing me and her up?"

"It's 'I and her'," Sheryl said. "And I'm not intent on it. But if you're not into that, I can always offer you my two-in-one special."

"I don't want your two-in-one special and I'm not interested in squeezing your boobs. The last time I took up your offer for help, you got nearly got me arrested."

"Please. You didn't get arrested and the cop was cute as a button. And many would have died to touch them." She squeezed them together unashamedly, making them bounce. "They're everyone's hopes and dreams."

Several thuds could be heard from inside the classroom and outside the hall.

"They're not my hopes and dreams," he said in a deadpan.

"If you're weren't so averse to them, I would think you'd prefer a penis instead."

"You did not just say that out loud."

"What? Penis? Cock? Peen? Junior? Don't be such a five year old. Actually, even my niece can say it without turning red. My god, you are such a prude." Sheryl wrinkled her nose at him. "How will you ever lose your virginity?"

"Silence!" Alto pointed a finger at her. "Go and bug Michel or give him a handjob or something."

"Pft. Michel's too easy. I like difficult guys."

"I can be difficult for you, Sheryl!" came a loud cry at the back.

They both ignored the voice.

"All I'm saying is that the street goes both ways, Saotome." Sheryl slide off the desk, gave her hips a little wriggle before striding out towards the door. Catcalls and whistles followed.

Alto let his forehead meet the desk top with a long suffering moan.

He should just transfer to a new school.

* * *

><p>"If you don't make the move, you will lose the race."<p>

"I'm not in a middle of a race," Alto said, peevishly. He stabbed at his fried shrimp, wishing it was any body part of Michel that he was stabbing.

"That's even sadder," Luca said. He was munching on the plate of curly fries. "It meas you're not moving at all. You're stagnant. Stalled. Stilled. Immobile."

"I get it." Alto glared. "No need to show me how impressive your vocabulary is."

"The point is," said Luca, sounding like he was imparting very important news.

"The street goes both ways?"

Michel raised an eyebrow. "What if the street is one way only? Like leading right up to the blank brick wall."

"Then you'd have to tap the bricks to get to the other side," said Luca, as if it was something everyone should know.

"You're not making sense," gripped Alto. "Why am I even bothering with you both?"

"Because we're your best friends and friends drive each other crazy."

"The point is," Luca repeated. "You have to start running before you can get anywhere. If you don't, then you lose out. Think of Ranka Lee as the prize at the end of the race."

"She's not some object to be won!"

"It's metaphorical but you get what I mean." Luca waved his curly fry at Alto sternly. "In order to be with her, you need to make a move towards her first. That means you need to start running in the race."

"And if you don't," said Michel, "you lose out."

"I hate you both."

"And we love you so."

* * *

><p>The problem was that while Ranka Lee wasn't surrounded by the majority of boys and girls, she was sort of unapproachable.<p>

Or maybe it was because he was crushing on her so badly that he thought he might have to climb up the pedestal to get to her. The fall is a long way down if he ever get rejected.

"You should stop ogling and ask her," said Michel. His breath was warm against Alto's ear. It tickled.

"Gah!" Alto jumped, turned around and clapped a hand to his ear, scowling. "Stop that, you jerk."

Michel merely smirked, leaning his weight against the broom in his hands.

It was their turn to clean the classroom today. At the end of the room, Luca was humming some tune while happily sweeping the floor, bright lime-green earphones visible in his ears. Who the hell wears something that brightly coloured?

"She's right over there," Michel said, pointing.

Sure enough, Ranka was wiping the window glass and chatting with another classmate next to her. He stared, mesmerised by the movement. When she stood on tip toes on the step ladder, leaning forward a little, he could almost see–

"Peeking at her panties are you?" said someone right by his other ear.

He let out a startled yelp and fell to the floor. The broom landed with a clatter as he pressed a hand to his left ear, scowling up and up at the smug face of Sheryl Nome.

"Get lost," he said. "You're not on cleaning duty today."

"But I just wanted to see you." She faux pouted, leaning over him. Her hair fell over her shoulders in flaxen waves, soft in the afternoon sunlight like the colour of wheat. Her earrings gleamed jewel bright. She had a pink cardigan that looked as expensive as the family heirloom buttoned up halfway.

"You see me everyday," he griped, getting up, patting dust away from his pants.

"Let me get that," she said, reaching out a hand. The army of fanboys all made loud groans of despair that their Queen was going to manhandle that _bastard Soatome_.

"I'll have you know that my parents are happily married, you nitwits!" Alto yelled. Not that they cared one iota. He could hear them still crying about how their Queen was sullying her hands on him. "And back off, woman!" He pointed at Sheryl.

She only gave him a mischievous smirk that made her blue eyes sparkle then pointed discreetly to the side.

He had a sudden sinking feeling in his stomach as he looked over to where she was pointing.

Sure enough, Ranka Lee had stopped with her window cleaning duty and was watching them with a bemused expression. When she caught his eye, she flushed red as her school tie and hastily returned to cleaning.

Huh.

That was... unusual.

"The prize at the end of the race,'" said Michel's voice, horribly close to his ear.

He gave Michel the finger.

* * *

><p>It was by chance that they were somehow trapped in the janitor's closet.<p>

Or it was part of his friends' diabolical plan to get together. Like the one where Luca wants to have ten children with Nanase and Nanase looked charmed by the idea of having ten hellspawns. Who the hell wants ten screaming, crying, noisy brats?

Whichever it was, they were locked in the janitor's closet along with the assortment of cleaning supplies, brooms and a mop that had seen better days. The lightbulb above didn't fare any better and this was all so cliche that he wanted to bash his head against the wall. Except he was afraid any sudden movement will have the entire shelf of cleaning supplies rain down on them.

Ranka Lee, for her part, didn't seem surprised or even close to panicking. She merely stood under the dingy lightbulb, hands clasped behind her back and peering around her, as if fascinated by the cobwebs on the corners.

"I'm sorry," he said, jiggling the doorknob for the tenth time. He swore that he was going to disown them once he got out of here. "For getting you stuck in here."

"Oh, no worries," she said, cheerfully. "I once got stuck in the freezer room of the lab where my mum works. My toes and fingers were turning blue by the time they found me. I had to stay at the hospital for a week for hypothermia and they had really bad tasting chocolate pudding."

He gave her a look. She had said that as if she was talking about a pimple on her nose instead of the fact that she nearly froze to death.

"Well," he said. He went back to jiggling the doorknob. He heard a scuffling sound outside and a giggle. He knew that laugh anywhere. He whipped out his mobile phone, pressing the speed dial.

Outside, Lin Minmay's voice warbled out _Kyun, kyun, kyun, my boyfriend is a pilot_ before it was abruptly halted.

"Yes?" came the accented voice in his ear.

"Let me out," he hissed, turning away from Ranka so she wouldn't hear him threatening body harm to another classmate. An annoying, nosy classmate who deserved it but still.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Sheryl's voice was a sing-song. He could picture that smirk on her face perfectly, the little lift at the corner of her mouth and the way her eyes widened in faux innocence. "I'm just passing by."

"And Vajra have never attacked the colony," he said, flatly.

"My grandmother has proven that they were just trying to communicate with us," she said, as if she was telling a story. "The history book got that wrong. Did you know that _Aimo_ is a love song the females sing to attract males?"

"Quit changing the subject!" he growled. He turned back to see Ranka studying the label on a spray bottle of glass cleaner. She gave him a genial smile and he waved back, turning his back to her. "Like I care if the song is a mating song. Open the door right now or I'll throttle you!"

"Well, that's quite redundant considering that a) I'm outside and b) you're locked in so you can't really throttle me as you say." She sounded smug.

"Will you just open the damn door?"

"I'm giving you a chance of a lifetime here and all you can think of is running out like a bat from hell," she complained. He could picture the pretty pout on her face as she said that.

"I'm not running out! Really, a janitor's closet? Why not the music room or the principal's office?"

"Things always happen in the janitor's closet," she intoned. "Have you never watched High School Love Attack?"

He refrained from groaning out loud. Instead, he pushed his fingers through his fringe, turned around to see that Ranka... was now cleaning the locker. She was wiping away the layers of dust and grime with all the enthusiasm of a cleaning maid attacking a dust bunny.

"The only thing happening right now is Ranka Lee cleaning the janitor's locker," he said. "And I don't watch girly movies."

There was such a long silence he was afraid that the line had dropped but when the door lock clicked and the door swung open, he found himself face to face with a frowning Sheryl. She radiated peevishness.

"Do you know how much I had to pay Mr Kawamori to part with his janitor's closet just so I can get you locked in here with the girl of your wet dreams?" she groused, arms folded under her breasts, one foot tapping.

"Oh, shut up. It was hardly ideal or even romantic. It stank of disinfectant and there were spiders inside." He gave her a withering look, turning away to tell Ranka that the door was opened.

Sheryl heaved a sigh. "You, Saotome, are such a – "

"Don't say it," he warned, coming back around, Ranka in tow behind him.

"Hi, Sheryl! Thanks for coming to our rescue," chirped Ranka, smiling, oblivious.

"– dope," said Sheryl. She then gave a delighted little smile at Ranka, reaching out and taking the girl's wrist in her hand and tugging her along. "Ranka, my darling! Look at you! Covered in cobwebs! That Saotome is such a fiend, locking you in the janitor's closet, obviously up to pervy no good."

She dragged Ranka down the hall, arm around the girl's waist in a squeeze hold, then turned a little to give Alto a rude gesture behind Ranka's back and then back to fussing over Ranka.

He wondered if he should transfer school instead.

Less hazards to his mental health.

* * *

><p>After the Trapped In The Janitor's Closet Incident (with capital letters for each of the word), he had taken to avoiding corridors with closets. You may never know if a blonde smirking minx was hovering nearby, ready to shove you headlong into one.<p>

"Sometimes I wonder about you," said Michel, squinting up at the blue, blue sky. "Here was a great chance and you screwed it up."

"I didn't screw anything up," he snapped.

"You didn't even screw anyone," Luca muttered, typing away on his phone.

"Hey!"

Luca merely sniffed and turned back to his phone. Alto wondered where the sweet kid who'd so much as blush and stutter when talking to girls had went and who this little beast that is sitting here with them.

"He's right, you know," said Michel. The towhead held his hand up to the sky, the sunlight filtering in between his spread fingers, creating light and shadows on his face. "I mean, the Sheryl Nome, Queen of Mihoshi Academy, gave you a chance to at least get with the girl and you flubbed it."

"I didn't asked to be locked in a janitor's closet," he said, flatly. "And the place is the least most romantic way for me to get with anyone."

"Like Ranka cares if there are dust bunnies in there," Luca said, just below his breath.

"Okay, what the hell is wrong with you?" Alto pointed at Luca. "You've been as crabby as Joshua and the reason he is crabby is because he isn't getting any."

"Like you." Luca lifted an eyebrow.

Michel snorted with laughter.

"My getting any is none of your business. I should disown you both. Sheryl, too. Then I won't have to listen to you trying to fix me up with someone or trapping me in a dirty janitor's closet. Did you know there are skin mags behind the Windex?"

"It's Kawamori's stash," said Michel. "He likes to, you know, in the closet." He pantomimed something with his hands that even Alto knew what it meant.

Alto's face scrunched up, more in disbelief than disgust. "In the closet? Really?"

"Really. Really. Theresa walked in on him once while she was looking for a mop to clean up Kenji's puke after he had one too many."

"That's..." Alto wrinkled his nose, then blinked. "Wait, Kenji got drunk at school?"

"Gross," Luca said. He had finished fooling around on his phone, tucking it back into the pocket of his pants. He was now typing on his laptop. "It was the Cherry Blossom Spring Festival. They had _sake_!" he said, then continued, "And you do not want to grow into an old pervert like Kawamori which you will if you don't get off your cushy ass and start chasing after Ranka."

Alto immediately scowled. "I liked you better when you were that nerdy little kid who followed us around like a puppy. Why can't you stay that way? Is it Nanase? She turned you into a monster."

Luca flipped him off.

"Luca's right, you know," said Michel. "You screwed up, didn't screw her and now you won't have that chance again. You'll probably grow into some pervert like Kawamori who, you know, in the closet because he can't get some when he was younger."

"Oh my god." Alto flopped onto the grass, ignoring that he was getting grass stains on his uniform and hair. He threw an arm over his eyes. "I don't know you people. I should just leave you both behind and get new friends."

"Aw, don't talk like that, baby," crooned Michel, leaning over him with a smirk. "You break my heart with those words."

"Argh!"

* * *

><p>It was after the Trapped In The Janitor's Closet Incident that Ranka Lee started actually talking to him. Just small, meaningless talks about their classes, and strangely the weather. He found that she liked to twiddle her thumbs when she was nervous. It was habit that he found rather endearing.<p>

Michel and Luca had taken to giving him thumbs up whenever that happens. The talking, not the thumb twiddling. He flipped them both off. Bunch of nosy idiots the two of them.

Sheryl had taken to trapping him by the stairwell to grill him for information when she found out that they (Alto and Ranka, not her and Alto) were now talking. Although the triumphant expression was wiped clean off her face when she discovered that they were talking about their homework and the weather.

"Of all the things you two could talk about!" she ranted at him, waving her hands in the air. "The weather, Saotome? Really?"

"It's a start!" he said defensively, crossing his arms over his chest. "We're talking, aren't we?"

"Not about that weather you're not." Sheryl sighed heavily. "Saotome, you are hopeless. How had you gotten by in your life all this time?"

"Just fine, thank you," he retorted. "It was going swimmingly until you arrived."

"I put excitement in your life, Saotome," she said, as if he should really thank her. "Otherwise, your life would have been very dull indeed."

"My life was perfect just before you came barrelling into it with your brand of insanity."

"You're fortunate to have me in your life. Do you know how many people want me in their lives? Many! But you, Alto Saotome, is the lucky person to have me. You have all of Sheryl Nome in your sad and sorry existence to bring your good fortune and happiness."

"We're fortunate to have Sheryl in our class and lives!" came the predictable chorus from above them.

"I'll offer my soul in thanks to Sheryl!" came the lone cry.

"Thanks," he said, dryly. "I'll be sure to give an extra offering of thanks to the gods for your constant badgering into my business."

"You do that. Now come along," she said, hooking her arm through his and dragging him down the stairs. "I'm giving you a lesson on how to talk to a girl properly and not about the weather."

"Joy," he mumbled.

If he had looked up, he would have seen notebooks being whipped out, pens or pencils on ready to take down notes.

* * *

><p>"So," said Yasaburo, "I heard from a little bird that you're courting this girl from school?"<p>

Alto missed the step and ended up with his elbow in his brother's face. Five minutes later, Yasaburo was sitting outside on the verandah, tissue stuffed up his nostrils.

"It's your own fault," said Alto. It was as close to an apology that he would make. He leaned against the wooden post, giving his brother a sideway glare. Not that Yasaburo was looking. "And it's not courting. Who uses the word courting these days?"

"I don't hear you denying the other part." Yasaburo smirked. "Is it Sheryl Nome? You know that Father was rather taken by her when she visited few weeks ago. Such a charming young lady and quite an assertive one at that."

"I'd rather date a goat than Sheryl Nome."

"I never knew your interest ran that way," commented Yasaburo.

"Ugh, _Niisan_!" He wanted to sink into the ground right now. Maybe that will save him from the embarrassment and trouble.

"I'm just pointing out my observation."

"Well, your observation is wrong and it's sick of you to think of your brother in that way."

"In what way?"

"The goat thing."

"I didn't realise your interest ran that way," said Yasaburo, the corners of his eyes crinkling up.

"Arrrgh!"

* * *

><p>In the end, he and Ranka came together without any help from anyone at all.<p>

"I told Sheryl to lock us in the janitor's closet," said Ranka.

"What?" Alto gave her a blank look.

They had been partnered up for an extra credit assignment and were in the library doing research. Alto can't even remember what their project was supposed to be except it involved a diorama.

"I told Sheryl to – ." said Ranka.

"I heard that the first time." Alto held up a hand. "I'm just wondering why would you do that."

Ranka tilted her head, giving him a long look. "Are you that dense? Sheryl told me that you're sometimes are but I didn't believe her. You were second in class last semester."

He gaped at her.

"Or maybe not. That wasn't a nice thing to say but it should have been obvious why, isn't it? The locking us in the janitor's closet, I mean." She tapped a finger to her chin. "It's like something out of High School Love Attack, without the attacking and it was a little awkward."

"So all this time you were actually trying to get with me." Alto found it hard to believe. "Then why didn't you just come up and talk to me."

"It isn't easy, you know." Ranka frowned at him. "I was the new girl at the school. Did you know that half of the girls already laid claim on you? They called you their Princess Alto. I can get that, you being as pretty as a girl." She gave him a little smirk. "I also know about your sordid past with the stage. Sheryl showed me a photo of you when you were eight and dressed up like a girl."

"Guh," was all he said.

"It's okay. I still like you. Like really like you." She smiled up at him. He noticed that it somehow light up her eyes and made her even cuter than before. "I know that you like me too, if the eye-lusting was any indication."

He groaned, thumping his head on the table a few times. Did everyone know about that?

The librarian, Ms Kanaria, sent disapproving frowns their way. He gave her an apologetic wave then turned to Ranka next to him.

"So, what happens now?" he asked.

She gave a thoughtful little moue. "Well, now would be a good time to ask me out on a date. And without none of that weather talk we've been having."

* * *

><p>Ranka Lee is cute and funny. Her nose crinkled up when she laughed or frowned. She likes to sing and eat Chinese food. She isn't as gorgeous as Sheryl or have the same attributes but that's fine by Alto. After all, that was the reason why he was dating her in the first place.<p>

End.

* * *

><p>EN: I started writing this on July 2009, ran out of steam halfway, put it aside and only recently dug it out and finished it. When I wrote it, I wrote it with the thought of Bakemonogatari in mind. I really like the series as it was quite quirky and the battle of verbal wits was entertaining.<p> 


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